Updated Friday, Feb. 22, 2008

Drop the stereotype titles

In response the New Baptist Covenant's headline theme of unity (Feb. 16. printed issue) among Baptists and Christians worldwide and the "Racism institutional" headline on page 10, I see one thing that would clearly help with unity - drop the stereotype titles! Every time I hear someone called Asian-American, Hispanic-American, African-American, Native-American or any other stereotypical name, I am offended. It is not enough to be known simply as an American, or even greater, a Christian, which literally means to be "Christ-like."

Honestly, if you were not born in Africa, Asia, an Hispanic country and immigrated here legally, why should you place ethnicity above the fact that you were born an American? I am from Scottish, English and Eastern American Indian heritage so what should I call myself? Above all, I am a born-again, Bible-believing, Jesus-serving child of God through the blood of Christ that unites us all to the Father in heaven. I am a Christian first and an American second, and yet if I were to label myself as a Christian-American, I would be an offense to many.

When groups gather and say it is all about unity, and they claim to be all-inclusive, but they stand on something other than the literal interpretation of God's holy word, and even poke fun (see Grisham's speech) at literal interpretation, they are drawing a line in the sand. Jesus did not say His Word would unite. He said His Word would become a dividing line, even between father and son, brother and brother.

Unity is achieved when we "love one another" enough that we "accept one another" as we are, and when we would "die for one another" as Jesus died for us. Christ will make the difference, not ethnic titles.

Roger Taylor

Sanford, N.C.